Story by: Corey Latham ~ [email protected]

Winston-Salem, NC(May 3, 2011) — The Madhouse, otherwise know an Bowman Gray Stadium, it is like no other. As we enter another year at NASCAR’s longest running track, the stands were at capacity, well over 17,0000 screaming fans that were ready to get it on finally got what they had been waiting for since last August.

The Sportsman division were the first to grace the track for the 63rd season opener and one car wasted no time making a statement that he was ready to make a run at the 2011 championship as Luke Fleming bested a very competitive field to take the prestigious victory.

The field would qualify on Friday for the race on Saturday, but a full field redraw would make the time trials a moot point other than Tommy Neal picking up the pole award. Barry Edwards would lead the field to the green and of course it got wild after that, what else would you expect at Bowman Gray?

Edwards, Michael Adams, Ronnie Barron, Tommy Neal and Luke Fleming would pace the field early, really early as the first caution would fly on lap four as Todd Gray goes around to bring out the first caution of the night, and our first cone restart. Neal jumps out from the fourth spot with Fleming coming with him on the outside to try and take the lead away from Edwards.

Edwards would jump to the lead with Tommy Neal slipping into second as getting to the inside going into turn one is the key at Bowman Gray from starting from the outside. We make it nearly a lap before John Lain in the ride that Steven Berrier drove last year goes sliding through the infield. He makes contact with the Armco barrier that protects the track workers inside turn one and knocks it down on the ground, nearly taking a photographer out with him. I’ve been at Bowman Gray for nearly 31 years and never seen that, but then again every time you go to the Stadium you see something you have never seen before.

On this restart at lap seven Fleming jumps out from fourth as well as 2010 champion Kyle Edwards in seventh as they try their luck on the outside. We make it almost half a lap before the caution comes out again as a car loses it’s rear bumper and the caution flies again. It’s lap seven and at least eight of the 23 starters have damage, did I mention we were at Bowman Gray?

Well let’s try this again, Fleming will jump to the lead as Kenny Bost who took the cone to the outside falls into second with Kyle Edwards and Barry Edwards in hot pursuit. It is from here that the Jerry Hunt Auto Sales teammates begin to pull away as Bost begins to work on the back of the Fleming machine with Edwards four cars back.

Fleming begins to hit lapped traffic on lap 21 as Bost sticks it to the inside but has to fall in line to get around the slower cars. Action slows down once again on lap 23 as Kevin Neal who was running in the top five comes to a halt in the infield bringing out the caution once again in the 40 lap event.

This is where it gets interesting as the inside is the way to go at this track. Bost is fast and wants to try his luck so in a move most are scared of he pulls to the outside of Fleming from second for the next restart with Barry Edwards falling behind him from fifth spot. It doesn’t work out for Bost as he can’t clear Fleming and Kyle Edwards sticks it inside hard on lap 25 to take second with Tommy Neal filling the hole up he left on the inside getting up into Bost moving him up the track to take the third spot on lap 27.

Jeff McCreary gets hard into the outside wall in turn two to bring out the caution once more on lap 29 from the back of the field as we get once again another popular cone restart…so the crowd thinks. While the cone at Bowman Gray is popular with the fans, the track knows that racing is most important and the drivers in the last ten laps must line up single file with Fleming, Kyle Edwards, Tommy Neal, Kenny Bost, Barry Edwards, Robbie Brewer, Derek Stoltz and Bryant Robertson making up the top eight.

At the green Fleming has Kyle Edwards tucked up under him and he gives him contact off turn two but let’s him gather it back up as Fleming holds on and hammers down the backstretch. With the contact Edwards loses momentum which allows Tommy Neal to get under him on lap 31 but Edwards dives low entering the corner and runs Neal into the grass with all drivers holding onto their spots.

Of course we won’t finish without some sort of excitement as Taylor Branch in his LTO ride gets tangled up with Cody Evans in turn one with the caution flying on lap 37. Kyle Edwards was hating to see the caution as he had regained his drive and was about to be on Fleming for the lead.

It turns out to be a blessing for Fleming as Tommy Neal gets under Edwards going into turn one and races him hard off the corner as Fleming pulls away when the green flies. Edwards get pushed high as Neal takes second and brings Bost with him into third while Edwards who was just fighting for the lead a lap earlier falls back into fourth. Fleming would cruise to the win with Neal behind in second and Bost hot on his heels in third.

Just another typical night at the Stadium, beat up fenders and hurt feelings. Luke Fleming served notice though that he will be a force to be reckoned with as his car with the great horsepower and awesome drive off the corner looked to be the class of the field all night. But there is always next week, and more than any other track in America, nothing is certain at Bowman Gray.

Results:
1. Luke Fleming
2. Tommy Neal
3. Kenny Bost
4. Kyle Edwards
5. Barry Edwards
6. Derek Stoltz
7. Bryant Robertson
8. Robbie Brewer
9. Mitch Gales
10. Michael Adams
11. Jeff Garrison
12. Evan Duggins
13. Zach Cliffton
14. John Lain
15. David Adams
16. Cody Evans
17. Taylor Branch
18. Todd Gray
19. Ronnie Barron
20. Danny Cornwell
21. Jeff McCreary
22. Kevin Neal
23. Justin Boles